Joe Markley
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Joe Markley (born November 28, 1956) is an American politician who was a member of the
Connecticut State Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sena ...
representing the 16th State Senate District from 2011 to 2019. A native of
Southington, Connecticut Southington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, it had a population of 43,501. Southington contains the villages of Marion, Milldale, and Plantsville. Geography Southington is situa ...
, he was first elected to the State Senate in 1984 at the age of 27, serving only one term. He returned to the chamber in 2010 at the age of 53, but left again in 2019. He was the Republican Nominee for
Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut The following is a list of lieutenant governors of the State of Connecticut. Lieutenant governors of the State of Connecticut, 1776–present Notes References ;Constitutions * * * ;Specific External linksOfficial website of the L ...
in 2018, but lost the general election to Democrat
Susan Bysiewicz Susan Bysiewicz ( ; born September 29, 1961) is an American politician and attorney who is the 109th lieutenant governor of Connecticut, serving since January 9, 2019. She previously served as the 72nd secretary of the state of Connecticut from 1 ...
.


Early life

Joe Markley was born in
Southington, Connecticut Southington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, it had a population of 43,501. Southington contains the villages of Marion, Milldale, and Plantsville. Geography Southington is situa ...
on November 28, 1956. Through his mother, Priscilla Cowles, his family has resided continuously in the town since the 1730s. Markley attended Southington High School, graduating in 1974. He then earned his bachelor's degree from
Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...
and his master's degree in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
from
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
.


Political career


First State Senate stint

On November 6, 1984, Markley, a member of the
Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...
was first elected to the Connecticut State Senate due in part to the Reagan landslide of 1984 where
President Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
carried over 60% of the vote in the state. He ran for re-election in 1986, but was defeated – consistent with the national trend of the 1986 midterm elections where Democrats made gains throughout the country.


Twenty-four year hiatus

When
Lowell Weicker Lowell Palmer Weicker Jr. (; born May 16, 1931) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the 85th Governor of Connecticut. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for president in 1980. He wa ...
proposed a state income tax for Connecticut in 1991, Markley, along with Tom Scott formed the Connecticut Taxpayers Committee to spearhead the opposition. On October 5, 1991 they organized the largest rally in Connecticut history to be held on the grounds of the state capitol. Markley also returned to teaching where he taught English at the high school and college levels.


Second State Senate stint

On November 2, 2010, Markley returned to the State Senate for a second tenure. He has since been re-elected three times, running unopposed by the Democrats in 2014. He was one of Governor Malloy's most outspoken critics, sparking rumors he might run as a gubernatorial candidate in 2018.


Campaign for party chairman

Markley announced his intention to seek the Connecticut Republican Party chairmanship after incumbent party chairman
Jerry Labriola Gerald "Jerry" Labriola (born May 17, 1931) is an American mystery writer, physician, and assistant professor at the University of Connecticut Medical School. In Connecticut's 1994 U.S. Senate election, he ran a losing campaign as the Republica ...
, Jr. announced he would not seek re-election after failing to capitalize on the nationwide republican momentum to defeat Governor Malloy or any congressional seat in the 2014 mid-term elections. Markley's platform for chairman was not to rebrand the party but to rejuvenate support for the party at the state level. "Many national donors who live in Connecticut have given up on the state party. They must be convinced that we are worthy of their support, both because we stand for a genuine change in direction and because we can win (the two, of course, are inseparable)," On June 23, 2015, Markley faced off against two competitors in the first contested chairmanship election since the 1980s. Markley finished third in the first round of balloting to J.R. Romano and John Pavia. Romano would ultimately be selected as chairman.


2018 lieutenant gubernatorial campaign

Markley filed paperwork to seek the position of Lieutenant Governor in the 2018 Gubernatorial elections stating "I feel that this is the spot on the ticket where I can most be of service." He was nominated at the statewide Republican convention as the endorsed candidate of the Republican party with 53.6% of the delegate vote. Both
Erin Stewart Erin Elizabeth Stewart (born May 4, 1987) is an American politician and the 40th Mayor of New Britain, Connecticut. Stewart is the daughter of former Mayor of New Britain Tim Stewart, who served from 2003 to 2011. She was elected to her first term ...
, mayor of
New Britain, CT New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately southwest of Hartford. According to 2020 Census, the population of the city is 74,135. Among the southernmost of the communities encompassed wit ...
and Jamie Stevenson of Darien, CT qualified for a primary against him to be held on August 14, 2018. Markley won the Connecticut Primary for Lieutenant Governor with 47.6% of the vote. He ran with
Bob Stefanowski Robert Vincent Stefanowski (born May 21, 1962) is an American business executive and politician. Born and raised in North Haven, Connecticut, he is a former business executive of General Electric, 3i Group plc, UBS, and Dollar Financial Group. ...
, who won the Connecticut Republican primary for Governor, before losing to
Ned Lamont Edward Miner Lamont Jr. (born January 3, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 89th governor of Connecticut. He has served in this position since January 9, 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a Greenwi ...
and running mate
Susan Bysiewicz Susan Bysiewicz ( ; born September 29, 1961) is an American politician and attorney who is the 109th lieutenant governor of Connecticut, serving since January 9, 2019. She previously served as the 72nd secretary of the state of Connecticut from 1 ...
.


Electoral history


State Senate


Lieutenant governor


References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Markley, Joe 1956 births 21st-century American politicians Amherst College alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Republican Party Connecticut state senators Living people People from Southington, Connecticut